Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! This week, we have a fairly large slate of titles hitting shelves, which is always exciting. In addition to higher profile titles like Coming 2 America and The Matrix Resurrections, we have smaller ones too, like Silent Night. Today has something for everyone, including a Criterion release as well! Read on for more…
The Matrix Resurrections
A long in the making sequel to The Matrix, what we have with The Matrix Resurrections is a very odd duck. In taking the franchise in a somewhat different direction than expected, the fourth installment didn’t hit with the masses like the original trilogy. At the same time, those who really had an affection for those three seemed to largely like this flick a lot. I had this to say in my review of the movie:
Once upon a time, The Matrix took the cinematic world by storm. The action, the ideas, everything. It truly felt like something new. Whether you loved it or just thought it was fine, nearly everyone united in acknowledging that the film was about as original as it gets. Then came the sequels. The Matrix Reloaded teased out more of the lore while succumbing to all of the issues that plague a middle chapter. Of course, then The Matrix Revolutions bungled the handoff, leading to a less than satisfying conclusion. Nearly two decades later, The Matrix Resurrections is here to try and course correct. The sequel is a definite recalibration and a distinct improvement on the sequels, but pales in comparison to the original. With this movie, it’s just a matter of proper expectations.
The Matrix Resurrections wipes away the bad taste left by the sequels, while also trying to forge its own path ahead. It’s somewhat of a legacyquel, though it doesn’t go too hard in that direction. Mostly, it’s trying to tell a new chapter in this universe, one populated by some of the same characters. The ideas here are some of the best since the first one. Truly, they’ve managed to engage your mind. There’s even way more humor than expected (this is a weird flick, as you’ll find out). However, the action disappoints and the sense of something new is long gone. It’s a solid sequel, but unfortunately, not much more than that.
Silent Night
The less you know about this one, the better. Silent Night has a mix of genres that really comes together in a way with the potential to surprise. Frankly, it’s a shame that this one didn’t catch on quite as much as it could have. Luckily, with it now coming to home video, you all get another bite at the apple. This is some of what I had to say in my review of the film:
Silent Night is a mix of comedy, horror, and Christmas. When it’s funny, it does a pretty savage job skewering holidays with your family and friends. When it’s going for more genre trappings, it’s less original, but the mixture does work. Individually, you’ve seen this sort of thing before. Jammed together, though? This is decidedly something new.
Adventure Time: Distance Lands (TV)
American Siege
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Complete Series (TV)
Coming 2 America (Interviews available with Louie Anderson, Craig Brewer, and Tracy Morgan)
Invincible
A Journal for Jordan
The Legend of La Llorona
National Champions
The Nowhere Inn
Redeeming Love
Supergirl: The Complete Sixth and Final Season (TV)
Supergirl: The Complete Series (TV)
Yellowstone: Season Four (TV)
Adoption
From The Criterion Collection: “Trailblazing auteur Márta Mészáros gives aching expression to the experiences of women in 1970s Hungary in this sensitive and absorbing drama, which became the first film directed by a woman to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Through intimate camera work, Adoption immerses the viewer in the worlds of two women, each searching for fulfillment: Kata (Katalin Berek), a middle-aged factory worker who wants to have a child with her married lover, and Anna (Gyöngyvér Vígh), a teenage ward of the state determined to emancipate herself in order to marry her boyfriend. The bond that forms between the two speaks quietly but powerfully to the social and political forces that shape women’s lives, as each navigates the realities of love, marriage, and motherhood in her quest for self-determination.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
Comments
Loading…